Spike



o. EQSEYMOUR.

SPIKE.

No. 449,705. Patented Apr. 7, 1891.

' U tTEn STATES PATENT FFlCE.

CHARLES E. SEYMOUR,'OF HURLEY, WISCONSIN.

SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,705, dated April 7,1891.

Application filed June 7, 1890. Serial No. 354,559. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. SEYMOUR, of Hurley, in the county ofAshland and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Spikes, of which the following is a description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part ofthis specification.

The object and result of my invention are to provide a spike having asharp or chisel edge adapted to enter a tie at right angles to the grainand cut the fiber; that when driven into the tie will enter it in adiagonal direction; that will hold the fiber at the surface of the tiedown in its normal position, and will not splinter it or force itoutwardly, exposing a ragged edge of the fiber; that will lie flatagainst and clamp the base of the rail, and that has the maximum amountof strength for the weight of the material used.

Figure 1 shows two of my improved spikes in connection with a rail andtie, the rail and tie being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is afrontelevation of my complete device. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the samedevice. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

A is an ordinary railroad-rail, having a downwardly and outwardlyinclined base A.

B is a tie on which the rail is supported, the tie being constructed ofwood, and arranged at right angles to the rail, so that the fiber orgrain of the tie runs at right angles to the rail, or from one side tothe other of the drawings.

The spike is formed with a head 0 and a shank D. The head 0 of the spikeprojects beyond the front of the shank, and is so formed that its innerlower surface E is at an angle somewhat less than a right angle to theline of the inner edge F of the shank. The inner surface E of the headof the spike has such sufficient width laterally as to give amplebearing on the inclined surface of the base A of the rail, and thislaterally-extending surface is carried down a little on the shank,forming a broad bearing G at the top of the shank on its front edgeadapted to bear against the edge of the base of the rail. From the broadbearing G'downwardly to near the lower end of the spike there is astraight or nearly straight thin edge F. From the thin edge F the shankwidens rearwardly, being beveled outwardly on both sides thereof to therear outer edges H H, forming a shank which in general outline is intransverse section nearly an equilateral triangle, as shown in Fig. 4.The rear of the shank is hollowed out longitudinally, as seen at I,thereby saving material without lessening the strength of the shank, andat the same time forming a channel into which the ends of the cut-offfiber of the tie at the rear of the spike is received as the spike isbeing driven, which fiber at the outer surface of the tie, as the spikecomes to its seat against the base of the rail, bears against the upperrear flat part K, and is thereby held firmly down, as the spike standsat an incline thereto, whereby the fiber is held compactly together, andis not thrown upwardly and outwardly in a splinter or furred-up mass, asis common in connection with the use of spikes of the ordinary form. Atthe lower end of the shank the rear edges H H are beveled off or carriedforward toward the front, and the lower edge of the inner edge F isbeveled off slightly rearwardly, forming a transverse chisel-edge L. Theinclination or bevel of the rear edges H H forwardly to the edge L isconsiderably greater than the rearward inclination or bevel of the edgeF toward'the edge L, whereby as the spike is driven into the tie thegreater wedge shaped bearing of its rear surface forces its sharp endtoward the front, so that the spike will take the direction and come to8 5 its seat in the position shown in Fig. 1. This inwardly-inclineddirection taken by the spike in driving is also assisted by the factthat the front edge F of the shank is a sharp edge,

while the rear has a broad bearing between upon the base of the railwhen it comes to its seat. It will also be understood that the spikesare usually driven into the tie in pairs on opposite sides of the rail,and it will be seen that when my improved spikes are-so arranged anddriven into a tie the extremi- IOO ties of the shanks Will come neartogether heneath the rail centrally, and that in such position they willso grip the fiber of the tie as to hold. the rail firmly thereto, beingby their construction and position in the tie capable of resisting muchmore effectually than a spike driven perpendicularly into the tie is thespring or vertical lift of the rail. The hollowI in the back of theshank beside saving material, which is used to broaden the spike andform the edges H H, also gives a form to the spike that is adapted toprevent its twisting While being driven into the tie. A small rib orbearing Mis preferably thrown up 011 the top of the head forstrengthening it and for receiving the blows of the driving instrumentthereon.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

LoUIs SCHINTZ, J. XV. HAMMOND.

